Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 847

Cheon Hyo-rak also felt the aura of an absolute being that had suddenly descended.

It was impossible not to feel it. As if declaring himself the best in the world, he unleashed his energy without restraint. That energy must have reached even the inner fortress, beyond the outer walls.

Cheon Hyo-rak and Hwa-hyang, who had rushed outside in surprise, saw an old man.

“……!!”

Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck.

He was a tall old man. The sword he had drawn was a common iron sword that could be found in the market, but the old man’s indescribable, sharp energy had forged the ordinary sword into an unparalleled divine blade.

‘If he possesses that level of sword energy…?’

There was not a trace of divine energy. He was simply a person whose powerful, sharp, and unyielding sword energy reached the sky.

‘Sword Emperor Namgoong Seung!!’

It wasn’t just Cheon Hyo-rak. Everyone gathered there noticed Namgoong Seung’s presence. He was that strong, and his energy was that distinctive.

Moreover, if they belonged to the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance], they couldn’t possibly be unaware of what the characters ‘Azure Sky’ (蒼天) inscribed on the blue robe Namgoong Seung was wearing meant.

“Namgoong Clan!”

“It’s the Sword Emperor!”

“Oh, my heavens!”

The murmuring voices grew louder in an instant.

The energy of a master who had reached the Saintly Heaven realm [a very high level of martial arts mastery] overwhelmed the surroundings. At their level, it was normal to be unable to even breathe, let alone open their mouths, due to the intense energy.

Nevertheless, the fact that they could ‘react’ meant that Namgoong Seung’s energy was focused solely on Yeon Ho-Jeong.

In other words, it meant that he was overwhelming everyone gathered there with only the remnants of his energy, having concentrated almost all of it on Yeon Ho-Jeong.

‘He’s incredible.’

Those who make it to the Saintly Heaven realm are all monsters.

During his time as the Dark Emperor, his level was also extremely high. He was among the top three in the world, perhaps even stronger than the Three Emperors among the Divine Immortal Emperors.

However, at that time, most of those in the Saintly Heaven realm had already disappeared. In fact, Yang Cheon was the only master who had actually made it to the Saintly Heaven realm that he had met.

It was impossible to make an absolute comparison of their martial prowess. How else could the Central Plains have fallen into such a state with just the Demonic Cult?

‘Is there someone like this?!’

Admiration beyond mere amazement appeared on Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

The Yin Emperor, Ha Eun-Gyo, was in a state of confusion, making it impossible to gauge her true abilities. The Sword Immortal, Tak Mu-Ja, was closer to a Taoist than a martial artist, and it was difficult to know his limits since they had met in such a unique place.

Only now did Yeon Ho-Jeong see the true power of the Three Emperors.

‘It’s no different from the Fighting King. No, in terms of enlightenment, it might even be…’

Of course, one would only know after a fight. Moreover, Namgoong Seung and Yang Cheon had mastered martial arts with fundamentally different characteristics, making it difficult to determine who had a clear advantage.

However, one thing was certain.

If Yang Cheon hadn’t gained new enlightenment while entangled with Yeon Ho-Jeong, and if he hadn’t built up his current strength, he would have definitely fallen behind Namgoong Seung.

‘A sword itself, purely refined without any impurities.’

It was an amazement at the person himself, not just his level.

That amazement began to turn into a competitive spirit. It was an emotion that even he found bewildering.

“So, in other words…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

“Are you asking to fight?”

Namgoong Seung’s lips twitched.

“There’s no need to sugarcoat it with fancy words for someone like you. Yes. I want to fight.”

His tone was a mix of straightforwardness and aggression. As the former head of the Namgoong Clan, he could have maintained his dignity, but there was no sign of that at all.

‘Senior.’

Ha Eun-Gyo had said that the minds of those who had broken through the Limitless Realm [the highest level of martial arts] were all unstable.

In simple terms, they were not normal. They couldn’t be normal. How could the minds of those who had reached a realm not allowed to humans and perceived things they shouldn’t have be normal?

There were not many who could build a mental barrier that was no different from their usual selves even after reaching that realm.

They were simply not insane because their enlightenment was high. If they couldn’t grasp their true selves, it was only a matter of time before they became what others would call a weirdo.

The higher the level, the more enlightenment one gained, the more susceptible they were to such an environment. Namgoong Seung was probably standing on that edge as well.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been staring at Namgoong Seung, nodded.

“If it’s a fight with a great senior, I’m all for it.”

A smile spread across Namgoong Seung’s face.

It was a smile that seemed natural, but the joy within it was immense.

“You are indeed a junior I like.”

“However, there is a condition.”

“A condition?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong pointed with his thumb towards the inner fortress.

“If you go northwest from here, there’s a training ground in the outer fortress. It’s the largest training ground in the Murim Alliance. I’d like to fight there.”

“The location doesn’t matter.”

“I want to reveal my martial arts and the senior’s martial arts to the world in front of everyone.”

Namgoong Seung frowned.

“You want to fight in front of others?”

“Yes.”

“It’s just a duel between martial artists. I refuse to be a spectacle for onlookers.”

“Before it’s a spectacle, it’s a lesson.”

“A lesson?”

“Your martial arts are worthy of respect, but as a member of the Murim Alliance, you have failed to fulfill your responsibilities. Through this duel, please impart enlightenment to the members of the alliance. I urge you to wash away some of your past mistakes.”

Namgoong Seung’s eyebrows shot up.

“Failed to fulfill my responsibilities? Mistakes?”

“Yes.”

“Are you saying this to me right now?”

“Of course.”

Whoooom.

The iron sword trembled faintly. The dark blade carried the fury of the Central Plains Sword Emperor.

“…If those words were spoken without a proper reason, you will have to take responsibility.”

It was a vivid anger that could turn the chilly late winter weather into a sweltering summer.

That pure anger was like the pure white heat that blacksmiths pursued their entire lives.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

He had grown enough to be able to smile without being forced, even in the face of the Sword Emperor’s vivid anger.

“The explanation is long. If what’s important to you is the fight, I’ll explain the situation after the fight.”

Namgoong Seung thought. He was definitely an amazing fellow in many ways.

It was the first time he had seen someone try to make a deal, not a request, in front of the Sword Emperor.

‘Well, he has the right to be arrogant.’

A level and talent that transcended age.

He had broken all the common sense of humans and entered the ultimate realm. In fact, he had the martial power to be understood even if he was more disrespectful than this.

Of course, understanding and forgiveness were different matters.

“Fine. If that’s the only way I can see your martial power, then a few onlookers are no problem.”

“You are indeed straightforward.”

“But I’ll give you a piece of advice.”

“Please do.”

“The competitive spirit you thought you had controlled is now burning fiercely. If your martial arts are not enough to satisfy me, there will be no forgiveness, even for a talented individual. You will have to stake your life on this fight.”

It was a terrifying statement.

It was not something that should have come from the mouth of the former head of the Namgoong Clan, the most prestigious sword family in the Central Plains.

Namgoong Seung saw Yeon Ho-Jeong as a talent who defied common sense, but looking at it, Namgoong Seung was also far from common sense.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s smile turned cold.

“You won’t be disappointed.”

“What?!”

The elders and officials were all in shock.

“The Sword Emperor?”

All eyes turned to Namgoong In.

However, Namgoong In was just as surprised. He had heard that his father and son would come together, but he had no idea they would arrive so soon.

But even more surprising than that was…

“A, a duel?”

“Yes. Currently, many people are gathering at the second training ground in the outer fortress, regardless of their status.”

“Oh, no!”

Elder Gong Gong jumped up.

“This is no time for this. Let’s go quickly.”

“Let’s do that!”

Everyone was surprised, but the most surprised were probably Yeon-wi and Namgoong In.

The gazes of the two men, who were leaving the conference room, met.

Yeon-wi’s worried eyes and Namgoong In’s stiff eyes looked strangely similar.

* * *

The area around the training ground was extremely quiet.

The rumor spread quickly like wildfire, and as a result, countless people flocked to the area. Not only around the training ground, but also many people were watching from the rooftops of buildings far away.

However, no one could easily open their mouths.

“Huh!”

Muk Won, who had arrived faster than anyone else due to the unusual energy, clicked his tongue as he looked at Namgoong Seung, who was far away.

“I never imagined I would see the Sword Emperor. I had hoped to meet him someday.”

“Me too.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had taken off his robe and even put down the Black and White Twin Dragons, was revealing the Azure Dragon Chain over his clothes.

Muk Won shook his head.

“By the way, little brother, you’re really good at causing trouble.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“Why is this trouble? It’s a friendly duel.”

“You might think so, but the Sword Emperor doesn’t seem to think so?”

Namgoong Seung, who had already ascended to the training ground, was sitting cross-legged as if to show off. He had placed his sword on his lap and half-opened his eyes, as if he didn’t care about the many people at all.

“Young Master Yeon.”

Muk Bi’s face, who had approached, was also filled with worry.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

“A duel.”

“Isn’t it Young Master Yeon who initiated the duel in the training ground where everyone can see?”

“How did you know?”

“Would someone as high as the Sword Emperor call people out to fight?”

That wasn’t wrong. Yeon Ho-Jeong just laughed it off.

Jin Yang, who had been quietly watching Yeon Ho-Jeong, said as if throwing a stone.

“You were right.”

“About what?”

“That if I hang out with you, I’ll never be bored.”

“You just realized that?”

“I have a feeling that my future is going to be full of hard work in the mess you’ve created. Is that just my imagination?”

“Don’t talk nonsense and watch this duel carefully. It’s a battle between Limitless Realm masters that you won’t easily see anywhere else. It will be a great learning experience.”

“…Was that your purpose?”

Gang Ryang said.

“I would usually say something, but I can’t say anything because of who the opponent is.”

“You should learn a lot too. Not from me, but from the senior.”

“Of course.”

“More than 70% of the martial world carries a sword at their waist. Most of them are swordsmen. It will be a great lesson for you, as well as the countless swordsmen gathered here.”

“It’s good to learn, but don’t get cut down. The senior’s aura looks ominous.”

“I know.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked around.

Moyong Woo was visible in the distance. Moyong Woo, who had made eye contact, sighed with a troubled expression.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled once and turned his head again.

There was Yeon Ji-Pyeong with a stiff expression. His father was also next to Yeon Ji-Pyeong, having arrived at some point.

Yeon Ho-Jeong bowed slightly towards Yeon-wi and sent a telepathic message to Yeon Ji-Pyeong.

Yeon Ji-Pyeong, who had flinched for a moment, nodded vigorously.

There were many other people visible as well. In particular, the expressions of the elders and officials were a sight to behold. They wanted to stop it, but couldn’t bring themselves to, and they wanted to see the battle between the masters, but they were also burdened with many worries.

‘I should apologize to them separately.’

Cheon Hyo-rak and Hwa-hyang were also visible. Namgoong Pyo, whom he had seen once before, was also there, and Namgoong Hyeon, who was panting, was also visible.

‘So many people have gathered.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had looked up at the sky for a moment, grabbed the Radiant Dragon Armor and ascended to the training ground.

At that moment.

Flash!

Namgoong Seung, who had opened his eyes, slowly rose from his seat.

“Are you ready?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong grinned.

Whoooooooooom!

He released the control of the Radiant Divine Core completely and took a stance.

“Let’s skip the unnecessary introductions.”

Namgoong Seung’s eyes twitched.

Swoosh.